Six Reasons to Pickle Yourself at the Fermentation Festival

Ready, set, pickle! It’s time for the annual Fermentation Festival, where brewers, picklers, cheesemakers, chocolatiers, ciderists, winemakers and other enthusiastic fermenters share their passion for all things preserved. Here are six reasons to get thee to the Fermentation Festival…

1. Drink Booze: Let’s be honest, beer, wine and spirits beat out pickles any day, I don’t care who you are. As one of the world’s oldest fermented foods, alcohol gets the VIP treatment at the event, with more than 20 brewers, wineries, ciderists and distilleries pouring. Some faves include Shady Oak Barrel House (a newcomer with great sours), Henhouse, Tilted Shed,Sonoma County Distilling Co., Wrangletown Cider Company, Frey Vineyards, Bear Republic and many more. (VIP tickets required for the Libation Lounge”).

3. Killer Kraut: All the cool kids are making their own sauerkraut these days, and you’ll have a chance to try plenty of them, along with kimchi, pickles and other fermented yumminess. Home kraut makers can compete to become the King or Queen of Kraut. What a crock!

5. Bean to Bar Chocolate: Yes, chocolate is a fermented food as well. Chocolate makers Jonas Ketterle of Firefly chocolate and Liam Blackmon of CACOCO Drinking chocolate give you a tour of the delicious world of cacao.